I don't always do the stuff that can be done to save money but I damb sure watch how it can be done. I was up to the colony earlier this fall[kid lost me camera card for a spell ] and the women were making soap for washing clothes and cleaning the kitchen. These folk do not like cameras but as I was there to pay a fellow for something he did for me and I have known the colony my whole life they allowed me to take some pics. No less than 4 elders came over to check me out in the two hours I spent with the women while waiting for Moses to show up. Normally the women never talk to us outsiders but all these women finally warmed up and I think I learned as much from them in two hours as I do from 2 years with the men. They do this soap making once a year or maybe 2 years as they use all the chicken fat, pig scraps, beef tallow and it looked like most anything an animal may have had. There were more than a few bones I saw put into this batch. The morning started at 5am for a couple of them as they started the fire to cook up the soap in this.

The goop looked like this and later it kinda/sorta foamed up right to the top before being allowed to cool a bit before being poured into the cake makers.

Some of the ingredients.

The lye came in pails

The cakes of soap after cutting and bagging were placed in a granery for a year or so and then ran through a feed shredder to make flakes[kinda/sorta]. the tables in back held the containment units for the hot soap to be cooled down.

The only pic I will show of the women as I don't want to irritate them.

They made 5 batch's a day and each batch took about 2.5 hours to cook.

Thats really neat to see, is that the Hutterite colony? If it is, they must like you if they let you bring in your camera, as I know they really don't like technology a whole lot (I did a project in high school on them, and never really forgot about them, their lifestyle is so interesting)

That is really cool TT. Back in the early 80's an older woman told me how to make deer soap, all fat from deer. As you know, deer don't have much fat but when someone brought in a deer absolutely nothing went to waste.

I was always taught to use just fat also Rick. Was more than mildly surprised at the stuff that went into the brine. I actually think now Hoffa was used to wash hands instead of them washing their hands of him.

As always...well almost always...another great post TT. I see they work on the waste not want not theory. As a youngster I saw the older ladies make what we called "lye soap" but it was just from hog lard, interesting to see they use so many parts of various animals. I am not surprised you took the pictures but more surprised they allowed it. It is interesting how the do not want some things such a cameras yet they can twist their beliefs enough to allow themselves such items. I saw this first hand with the Amish in PA. If you asked them about a power line you would see going to a house it was always because someone was sick and needed to run some medical device or such. Thanks for this post TT.